Header

[jbrew33]

Hey, I am trying to figure the differences between a ceramic coated header and a stainless header, is there any difference besides looks? I would think performance of the header would have little to do with coating.

[edge2lyfe]

The ceramic coating might help reduce overall engine bay temperatures and if you're running a short ram intake then it may be benificial. Maybe someone that actually has a ceramic header could give you a better answer

[ogsmakdade]

that answer was on point.
Let me also add that ceramic coated headers tend to rust and corrode over time. The protection they give from heat isn't beneficial enough to choose it over Stainless.
Most people buy the ceramic because it's less expensive.
IMHO Stainless is best.

[dakilla4ever]

Although i know from experience that you should pick a header carefully depending on where you live. If you are in an area where its cold one day then hot the next (like GA.). you should pick ceramic, cause they have very little chances of cracking from cooling too quick. Stainless steel is known for that fatal flaw, because it doesn't contain the heat as well as ceramic does. I own ceramic and have been on for the past year, and they still look and perform as well as the day i bought them.

[jbrew33]

I do have a short ram, would a header wrap be beneficial. I am just trying to get all of the info before I decide on one. Ceramic is a lot less reflective so it should keep heat down, but stainless is well stainless.

[Prelude13]

Header wrap is always a great idea.
I use it, and it works.

Stainless or ceramic, try to find one that yields the most HP, and also suits your budget $$.

:smirk:

[ogsmakdade]

header wraps are good, but remember that they can retain moisture when the car is cold, so if your engine bay gets wet frequently, it might not be the best choice.

[Si Speed]

header wraps are good, but remember that they can retain moisture when the car is cold, so if your engine bay gets wet frequently, it might not be the best choice.
That's why you get one of those fans pointed at the shcool bus driver and blow it right on the header at all times.:cool:

[lilredlude]

i think on the 5th gen, brand is more important than material (ie. mugen over dc, etc.)

[edge2lyfe]

I've heard those header wraps can cause cracks to form, but honestly I don't know.

[dakilla4ever]

I've heard those header wraps can cause cracks to form, but honestly I don't know.

Yes they do. But i've only seen it happen on a ceramic header. It adds excessive stress to the welds of the manifold and greatly reduces performance [B]in the long run.[B] Early on its great. Not to mention if it gets wet thats another can of worms you don't want to have to deal. In my best opinion go ceramic without the header or go stainless steel with a header wrap and cold air intake system so you dont have anyway of sucking in hot air.

[jbrew33]

Brand? If the welds are clean, collecter size is the same, and material is the same, whay does brand matter? I here everyone grab assing the mugen header. Frankly, there are a lot better power adders out there for the money. I am not planning on dropping $899 right now.

[Sener]

i think on the 5th gen, brand is more important than material (ie. mugen over dc, etc.)


I agree, I heard everyone perfers mugen over dc. But the price you pay depending where you go, you can get a custom header for your car.

[ogsmakdade]

depending on the design and dyno results, custom is great!

[98vtec]

that answer was on point.
Let me also add that ceramic coated headers tend to rust and corrode over time. The protection they give from heat isn't beneficial enough to choose it over Stainless.
Most people buy the ceramic because it's less expensive.
IMHO Stainless is best.

never heard of that before. Thats one of the reasons we recommend getting the mild steel headers coated. To keep the header from rusting. I've had my mild steel ceramic RMF for almost 3 years now IIRC and i have never had anyone say their ceramic coated header was rusting.

but stainless puts a nice smile on your face when you look at all its beauty.

[black_prelude97]

I heard stainless isnt the best for stuff after it starts to change color.. people have told me that it gets very brittal around the welds once the color has started to change.. looks sick as hell tho

[ogsmakdade]

never heard of that before. Thats one of the reasons we recommend getting the mild steel headers coated. To keep the header from rusting. I've had my mild steel ceramic RMF for almost 3 years now IIRC and i have never had anyone say their ceramic coated header was rusting.

but stainless puts a nice smile on your face when you look at all its beauty.

I wouldn't expect an RMF header to rust, top of the line custom stuff. I was refering to mass produced headers which most people on here purchase. I've seen a few brands rust w/ my own eyes.

I'm kinda scared to drive my car this winter, don't want that header to break. :worried:

[SLIDEGOOD.COM]

I have ceramic on mine for a few years and its all good.

[Brash22]

As sexy as stainless headers look, if your worried about heat why not just retrofit the OEM heat sheild. They don't look too bad when coated in matte black or polished.

[Velocity1]

Header coatings are not only used to prevent rust and make a nicer looking product, but we all know they also help reduce underhood temps. The single biggest difference between a coated, (insulated one), vs an un-coated, (non-insulated one), is the effect on the combustion chamber temp. "Insulated" tends to raise the temp. while "Non-insulated" tends to lower the chamber temp.

It becomes a matter of preference based on whether you're "NA" or are running a power adder. In the case where a turbo or supercharger is used, equal length, large diameter SS tubes are typically used by their manufacturers to help disipate and lower combustion chamber temperature. Motors that are NA respond reasonably to the addition of either type of header, (SS or Ceramic), producing marginally better TQ / HP numbers.

If air intake charge temperature is your ultimate concern, opt for the cold air intake instead of the short ram style. That way you can use either style header and it won't adversely affect your intake charge temp.

Unfortunately, the only way to determine for real which combination makes the best performance numbers, you'd have to run them on a dyno and see for yourself.

All applications are different. Then you have to start looking at fuel delivery and timing curves, (ECU programming), to achieve the best results from the addition of the header and air intake.

V1

[Hardcoredan52]

Header wrap is always a great idea.
I use it, and it works.

Stainless or ceramic, try to find one that yields the most HP, and also suits your budget $$.

:smirk:

I've heard heat wrap is somewhat bad, because heated air moves alot quicker in the exhaust which is good. And with heat wrap it cools the air making it slower. This is only something I've heard. Also I had a ceramic coated header in my previous lude and the engine was cooler than with my stock header without a heat shield in my new lude. Anyway just my 2 cent

[98vtec]

heat wrap keeps heat from escaping the exhaust